More Acts Join WOMAD NZ 2012 Line-Up
Monday 16 January 2012, 3:16PM
By WOMAD New Zealand
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Javanese shadow puppets, Korean traditional musicians, a Brazilian accordion virtuoso duo, a tribute to Hirini Melbourne by well-known Maori musicians and a Wellington “supergroup” have been added to the line-up for WOMAD New Zealand 2012.
Five new acts have been announced for WOMAD New Zealand 2012 which takes place at New Plymouth’s Brooklands Park and TSB Bowl of Brooklands from 16-18 March.
Artistic director Drew James says these new acts add to the diverse range of music and performance for the three-day festival, with 20 countries now represented.
From Brazil comes accordion virtuoso duo Toninho Ferragutti and Bebê Kramer; TORI Ensemble features Korean traditional musicians, while the beauty of Javanese shadow puppetry comes to life in Wayang Kulit with Gamelan Padhang Moncar. A collaboration of Maori musicians, He Rangi Paihuarere will perform a special tribute to acclaimed Maori composer Hirini Melbourne and Wellington ‘supergroup’ Shogun Orchestra also join the line-up.
Brazilian culture and popular music is inexorably tied to the accordion and virtuoso players Alessandro ‘Bebê’ Kramer and Toninho Ferragutti present a comprehensive picture of where the accordion sits in Brazilian music today – from folk traditions through feisty gypsy festivities to orchestral performance, driving distinctive Brazilian rhythms, waltzes, ballads and polkas.
TORI Ensemble features Korean traditional artists which uses local styles (tori) of traditional music focusing on improvisation as an important aspect of Korean traditional music.
Wayang Kulit with Gamelan Padhang Moncar brings together traditional Javanese shadow puppetry presented by eighth generation Javanese puppeteer Joko Susilo of Dunedin with Gamelan Padhang Moncar, a Wellington-based Javanese gamelan ensemble. It features exquisitely carved leather shadow puppets to tell tales from one of the traditional Indian epics, the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, with local references and jokes that make the shows relevant and topical.
He Rangi Paihurarere is a collaboration of well-known and emerging Maori musicians who perform a tribute to acclaimed composer Hirini Melbourne. Dr Melbourne is credited with the revival of taonga puoro. Each artist interprets his work in different ways from soul to jazz, hip hop to traditional performance. Artists involved in the project include Ngatapa Black, Tama Waipara, Ria Hall, Katera Maihi, Maytreya, Mel Davis, Majik Paora, Warren Maxwell, and taonga puoro composer Horomona Horo.
Shogun Orchestra was created by Wellington-born saxophonist and composer Lucien Johnson and is a “supergroup” of Wellington musicians featuring Joe Lindsay (trombone) and Toby Laing (trumpet) Fat Freddy's Drop; Chris Yeabsley (organ), his brother Dan (alto sax) and Paul Hoskin on drums from Twinset and The Eggs; Justin "Firefly" Clarke on guitar, and Mexican import Adan Tijerina on congas.
The five new acts join a line-up of musicians and performers from 18 other countries as diverse as Palestine, China, Japan, Ivory Coast, France, Romania, Ireland, Australia, Burundi and Senegal.
As well as 30 hours of music on the seven stages, WOMAD New Zealand 2012 features artists in conversation, Taste the World – this year hosted by Masterchef runner-up Jax, artist workshops, a global village, sustainable village, Kidzone and the option to camp at the adjacent racecourse. Seniors have special viewing platforms at the three main stages with seating, shade and free water sponsored by TSB Bank.
WOMAD is an international festival created by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Brooman in 1982. Since then 21 countries have hosted the festival and entertained millions of festival goers.
Tickets for WOMAD New Zealand 2012 are on sale through Ticketek 0800 TICKETEK (842 538) or www.ticketek.co.nz. The full line-up and detailed information is available on the WOMAD website www.womad.co.nz
WOMAD NEW ZEALAND 2012: NEW ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES (ANNOUNCED JANUARY 16 2012)
He Rangi Paihuarere (New Zealand)
He Rangi Paihurarere is a collaboration of well known and emerging Maori musicians who have joined together to record their interpretations of waiata produced and composed by the late Dr Hirini Melbourne. Dr Hirini Melbourne was a well-known composer of Maori music and was credited with the revival of taonga puoro. He Rangi Paihuarere artists navigate through old waiata, lyrics, and the use of taonga puoro and take on their own creative direction. In the combining of traditional and contemporary instruments, each artists’ interpretation is different and corresponds with their particular musical style from soul to jazz; hip hop to traditional Maori. Artists include Ngatapa Black, Tama Waipara, Ria Hall, Katera Maihi, Maytreya, Mel Davis, Majik Paora, and taonga puoro composer Horomona Horo.
Shogun Orchestra (New Zealand)
After several years abroad, touring, travelling and honing his craft, Wellington born saxophonist and composer Lucien Johnson has returned to New Zealand to create The Shogun Orchestra. The orchestra is a supergroup of Wellington musicians featuring Joe Lindsay on trombone and Toby Laing on trumpet, both of Fat Freddy's Drop; Chris Yeabsley on organ and his brother Dan on alto sax and Paul Hoskin on drums (from Twinset and The Eggs); Justin "Firefly" Clarke on guitar, and Mexican import Adan Tijerina on congas. Fusing afro-beat, calypso, jazz and Ethio-funk styles Johnson was particularly influenced by three months spent in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. Many of the pieces Johnson has written have been inspired by his Haitian voyage, and the band plays several Haitian folk songs.
Toninho Ferragutti and Bebê Kramer (Brazil)
Brazilian culture and popular music is inexorably tied to the accordion. Called many names through different provinces across Brazil – sanfona, concertina, harmonica – the accordion is the most versatile and adaptable of melodic instrumental voices. Alessandro “Bebe” Kramer is acknowledged as a champion of the music from southern Brazil. With his dexterous accordion playing, he masters the spread of distinctive rhythms from the Rio Grande do Sul state – mazzurcas, xotes, vaneroes and chamames. Toninho Ferragutti embraces a different expression of the same instrument. Born in south-eastern Brazil but a long-time resident of Sao Paulo, Toninho has learned the scope of accordion possibility, from the soundtrack of gypsy parties to orchestral performance. Together, the duo presents a comprehensive picture of where the accordion sits in Brazilian music today. Performing with a five-piece backing ensemble, they show off the accordion’s intimacy with the acoustic guitar, the 10-string caipira guitar, the cavaquinho (four-string dwarf guitar) and the range of percussion that drives such distinctive Brazilian rhythms as frevo, maracatu, rancheiras and chorinhos with waltzes, ballads and polkas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeut0WeEqWo
TORI Ensemble (Korea)
‘Tori’ is a term that explains “local style” in Korean traditional music, although the Tori Ensemble seeks to fuse its particularly haunting musical dialect with other toris in music through bold collaborations and improvisation. The quartet, founded in 2007, is led by Heo Yoon-Jeong, a master of geomungo (a Korean six-string zither). She is capably supported by Min Young-chi, who plays the daeguem (Korean transverse bamboo flute) and janggu (Korean hourglass drum) with exceptional artistic skill and feeling. Vocalist Kang Kwon-soon has been designated Korea’s “official successor of the Intangible Asset” for performing the jeongga, Korea’s revered classical lyric song. Lee Suk-joo is a descendant of a traditional musician family and plays the piri (a bamboo oboe), exhibiting great skill in traditional, contemporary music and also improvisation. Indeed, this focus on improvisation as an important aspect of Korean traditional music and attempts to create a unique language through Asian intuition and musical idioms. TORI Ensemble has taken this notion a step further by embracing other musical nuances into the Korean sound.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9dcse5CrNA
www.facebookcom/toriensemble
www.myspace.com/toriensemble
Wayang Kulit with Gamelan Padhang Moncar (Java/New Zealand)
Traditional Javanese shadow puppet show presented by eighth generation Javanese puppeteer, Joko Susilo of Dunedin and Gamelan Padhang Moncar (Javanese gamelan ensemble) from the NZ School of Music, Wellington. Wayang kulit is a sophisticated art form that traditionally runs all night from 8pm to 5am and appeals to a wide range of the community, both adults and children. It features exquisitely carved leather shadow puppets to tell tales from one of the traditional Indian epics, the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, with local references and jokes that make the shows relevant and topical. The puppets are of extraordinary beauty – not only are they delicately carved, making exquisite shadows, but they are also painted brilliantly so that it is just as rewarding to watch the show from the puppeteer’s side of the screen as the shadow side. It is fascinating to watch the puppeteer’s skill in manipulating the puppets to make them do flips, fight battles, go on journeys, and enact love scenes – vocal skills are equally important as the puppeteer also sings and does all the narration and dialogue, including cracking jokes.
www.jokodhalang.com
www.gamelan.org.nz